Socket wrench



April 20,- 1965 H. BACHLI ETAL SOCKET WRENCH Filed Sept. 27, 1963 United States Patent 3,178,971 SOCKET WRENCH Herman Bachii, Chicago, and Eugene B. Shapiro, Skokie, IlL, assignors to Chicago Specialty Manufacturing Co., Skokie, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 312,214 6 Claims. (Cl. 81-125) This invention relates to a socket wrench provided with means for holding and retaining the screw or nut.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a socket wrench with means for holding and retaining the screw or nut while the wrench is being operated, thereby relieving the operator of manually holding the screw or nut and making it possible to use the wrench and perform the operation in locations difiicult of access.

Another object of this invention is to provide a socket wrench in which the keeper member which retains the screw or nut in the socket is pivotally movable with respect to the socket opening and thus moves laterally with respect to the socket, permitting an axial movement of the wrench with respect to the screw or nut in eifecting disengagement between same.

Another object of this invention is to provide a socket wrench which may be pulled outwardly axially from its engaged screw in effecting disengagement and thereby eliminating the necessity of locating the opening of the keeper member and moving the wrench in relation thereto in effecting disengagement.

In devices of the prior art there is a socket wrench in which the keeper member is axially slidable. In such a construction it is necessary to locate the keeper opening so that the wrench is moved laterally with respect to the screw in etfecting disengagement. With the present invention this is eliminated as the keeper member pivots and moves away from the socket opening permitting a withdrawal of the wrench from the screw by an axial movement of the wrench in relation to the screw.

Other objects. will become apparent as this description progresses.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view partly in section of a Wrench forming this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view on a larger scale than FIG. 1 and partly in section taken on lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the portion shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on lines 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but with the parts in retracted position.

FIG. 6 is a view taken on lines 66 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 7 is a view of a modified socket.

The socket wrench includes a shank 10 provided with a handdle 12 fixedly mounted on one end thereof, and a.

socket member generally indicated at 14 formed on the other end of the shank. The socket 14 may be formed as an integral part of the shank or it may be a separate member fixedly attached to the shank. The socket has a recess 15 of a shape to accommodate a complementaryshaped screw-head 16 of a screw member 17. A nut may be similarly secured. For most practical purposes a hexagonal-shaped recess is preferred.

For releasably securing the screw-head or nut in the socket there is provided a keeper member generally indicated at 18 which is pivotally secured to the shank 10. The keeper member 18 is provided with a generally U-shaped body 20 in transverse section, the sides or legs 22 of which are positioned around a portion of the shank 10 and are pivotally secured to the shank by a pin 24 to permit a pivotal movement of the keeper member 18.

3,178,971 Patented Apr. 20, 1965 ICC right angles to the back wall 28. The forked end foot member is best seen in FIGS. 3 and 6 and is of generally U-shaped configuration provided with spaced sides 35 and a central opening 36 open at one end.

A compression spring 37 is supported between the keeper 18 and the shank 10 forwardly of the pivot pin 24 so as to tend to urge the keeper in a pivoted position, shown in FIG. 5, in which the foot member 34 of the keeper 18 is pivoted away from the socket 14. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the compression spring 37 is positioned between the side walls 22 of the keeper with one end of the spring resting against the shank 10 and the opposite end resting against the back wall 28 of the keeper and encircling a pin or anchoring member 38 on the back wall.

A tubular member or sleeve 40 is slidably supported on the shank 10 for limited sliding movement. The forward end of the sleeve is enlarged to form a head 42 which rides against the rear edges 26 of the keeper for actuating the keeper to pivot inwardly, as in FIGS. 1,

2 and 4, and thereby retain the screw-head or nut in the socket 14.

Fixedly secured to the opposite end of the sleeve 40 as to be integral therewith is a knob member 44 which has an enlarged annular portion 46, the interior of which is of concave shape. A compression spring 48 is positioned around the shank 10 with one endresting against the knob member 44 and the other end against a cupped washer 50 resting against the handle 12 to normally urge the sleeve 40 forwardly to the position shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 and thereby positioning the keeper 18 as shown in said figures. In this position of the keeper 18 the screw-head 16 or nut which is manually placed in the recess 15 of the socket 14 will be retained therein. In connection with the screw-head, the threaded shank 17 of said screw-head will extend through the central opening 36 in the foot of the keeper, with the side members 35 of the foot of the keeper engaging the screw-head to hold it in the recess 15. If a screw is retained in the socket 14 the threaded screw opening is accessible through the foot opening 36. p I

To position a screw member or nut in the socket, the handle 12 is grasped with one hand, with two fingers positioned around the portion 46 of the knob 44, and by applying a slight inward pull with said fingers against the knob 44 the sleeve 40 will be retracted against the compression of the spring 48, thereby releasing the head 42 from engagement with the inclined rear edges 26 of the keeper 18 and permitting the spring 37 to pivot the keeper to the position shown in FIG. 5 where the foot end is pivoted away from the socket recess 15 to permit the insertion of a screw-head or nut in the socket. Releasing the fingers from the knob member 46 will permit the parts to return to their former position to retain the screw-head or nut.

A washer or the like, not shown, may be positioned on the screw before the wrench is engaged and the foot member 34 of the keeper will be hooked over the washer.

In threading the screw 17 into an object with this wrench, the foot member 34 of the keeper 18 will be between the screw-head 16 and the object. The wrench may be readily removed by retracting the knob 44 to pivot the keeper 18 away from the socket opening 15 so out any lateral shift or movement of the wrench. Also,

operating'the 'ke'eper for the insertion and removal of the screw in the wrench socket may be performed with the hand holding the wrench at the handle.

FIG. 7 shows a modified socket for the wrench. The socket 14' may have its recess or cavity 15' shaped as that previously described or it may be'round or any other.

shape. Extending interiorly'into the recess is a blade or rib 54 which engages the slot 56 in the head'of a conventional screw 57. Thus, the cavity or socket recess can accommodate screw-heads having many sides or it may accommodate rounded screw-heads. The screw 57 is retained in the socket 14' in the same manner'as that previously described, namely, the keeper is'operat'ed as described. v

It will be understood that various changes and modification may be made from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:- I I 1. In a socket wrench, a shank having a handle at one end thereof and a socket member at the other end of said shank and having therein a screw-head'receivin'g socket in axial alinement with the shank, a keeper memberpivotally secured to said shank adjacent said socket member, said keeper niember having 'at its forward end means engaging the screw-head, first spring means posi-' tioned between said shank andsaid keeper member and operating against said keeper member for urging said keeper member in pivoted posit-ion so that said keeper member is urged to a pivot position away from said socket member, a sleeve slidably supported on said shank and engaging said keeper member, second spring means operating against said sleeve for normally urging said sleeve forwardly to pivot the keeper towards said socket member and overcome the force of said first spring means, said sleeve when manually retracted against the force of said second spring means permitting said first Spring means to pivot said keeper away from said socket member. I I

2. In a socket wrench defined in claim 1 in which the keeper member has an inclined edge and the sleeve has a head engaging said edge for operating said keeper.

3. In a socket wrench defined in claim 1 in which the keeper member is provided with a generally U-shaped body in transverse section and in which the sides of said body are positioned around the shank and are pivotally secured to said shank and in which said sides have inclined edges to form carnming surfaces for engagement by said sleeve for operating said keeper.

4. In a socket wrench defined in claim 1 in which the Cit socket member has a blade for engaging the slot in the head of a screw.

5. In a socket wrench, a shank having a handle at one end thereof and a socket member at the other end of said shank and having therein a screw-head receiving socket in axial alinement with said shank, a keeper member having a generally U-shaped portion pivotally secured to said shank adjacent said socket member, said keeper having a camming surface, said keeper having at its forward end inwardly extending means engaging the screw-head, first spring means operating against said keeper member for urging said keepermember in pivoted position so that said keeper member is urged to a pivot position away from said socket member, a sleeve slidably supported on said shank and engaging the camrning surface of said keeper member, second spring means operating against said sleeve for normally urging said sleeve forwardly to pivot the keeper towards said socket member and overcome the force of said first spring means, said sleeve when manually retracted against the force of said second spring means permitting said first spring means to pivot said keeper away from said socket member. I

6. In a socket wrench, a'shank having a handle at one end thereof and a socket member at the otherend of said shank and having therein a screw-head receiving socket in axial alinement with said shank, a single keeper member pivotally secured to said shank adjacent said socket member, said keeper having a camming surface, said keeper having at its forward end inwardly extending means engaging the screw-head, first spring means operating against said keeper member for urging said keeper member in pivoted position so that said keeper member is urged to a pivot position away from said socket 'member, a sleeve slidably supported on said shank and engaging the camming surface of said keeper member, second spring means operating against said sleeve for normally urging said sleeve forwardly'to pivot the keeper towards said socket member and overcome the force of said first spring means, said sleeve when manually retracted against the force of said second spring means permitting said first spring means to pivot'said keeper away from said socket member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 847,596 3/07 McMurtry 81-125X 2,676,506 4/54 Schultz 81-124.1X 2,733,456 2/56 Howell 145 50 2,753,747 7/56 Brown 81- FOREIGN PATENTS 291,873 5/16 Germany.-

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A SOCKET WRENCH, A SHANK HAVING A HANDLE AT ONE END THEREOF AND A SOCKET MEMBER AT THE OTHER END OF SAID SHANK AND HAVING THEREIN A SCREW-HEAD RECEIVING SOCKET IN AXIAL ALINEMENT WITH THE SHANK, A KEEPER MEMBER PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID SHANK ADJACENT SAID SOCKET MEMBER, SAID KEEPER MEMBER HAVING AT ITS FORWARD END MEANS ENGAGING THE SCREW-HEAD, FIRST SPRING MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SHANK AND SAID KEEPER MEMBER AND OPERATING AGAINST SAID KEEPER MEMBER FOR URGING SAID KEEPER MEMBER IN PIVOTED POSITION SO THAT SAID KEEPER MEMBER IS URGED TO A PIVOT POSITION AWAY FROM SAID SOCKET MEMBER, A SLEEVE SLIDABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID SHANK AND ENGAGING SAID KEEPER MEMBER, SECOND SPRING MEANS OPERATING AGAINST SAID SLEEVE FOR NORMALLY URGING SAID SLEEVE FORWARDLY TO PIVOT THE KEEPER TOWARDS SAID SOCKET MEMBER AND OVERCOME THE FORCE OF SAID FIRST SPRING MEANS, SAID SLEEVE WHEN MANUALLY RETRACTED AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SECOND SPRING MEANS PERMITTING SAID FIRST SPRING MEANS TO PIVOT SAID KEEPER AWAY FROM SAID SOCKET MEMBER. 